Free-to-play Star Trek Online?

After Cryptic Studios and Atari announced that the MMO Champions Online will become free-to-play next year, players are wondering if Star Trek: Online could be next.

With Champions Online, players will be able to download the game and not be obliged to pay a monthly subscription fee, which they must currently do. Atari hopes that premium content, including costumes, adventures packs and new superpowers, will bring in sufficient revenue for them.

“I’m sure people are wondering whether we’ll do it with Star Trek and the question is really how well it does for Champions,” said Cryptic boss Jack Emmert.

Emmert encouraged players who want to see Star Trek: Online go free-to-play to support Champions Online, showing Cryptic that there is support for the change. “Does it work or doesn’t it? We’re not sold one way or the other with Star Trek yet,” said Emmert. “If people want Star Trek to go free-to-play then get in and play Champions and help make it a great success, because that would send a strong message.”

“We’re just hoping to open it up and increase the fan-base,” said Emmert, “and we’ll just wait and see. I’d love it if we got [the results that Dungeons & Dragons Online got when they went free-to-play], but hey, if that doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.”